Love connection? Ben Affleck stepped out with Playboy model Shauna Sexton on Thursday, August 16, for a dinner date at Nobu in Malibu, and sources are sharing the details of their evening with Us Weekly.

The outing left some questioning if the director had split from girlfriend Lindsay Shookus, whom he went public with in July 2017. The couple moved into an apartment together in New York City in November 2017 and were last spotted on a trip to Puerto Rico in July.

Multiple sources told Us that the duo began hooking up in 2014, when Affleck was still married toJennifer Garner. However, an insider close to the actor maintained that they did not begin dating until April 2017.

Sexton previously opened up to Playboy about her love life when she was featured as the magazine’s May 2018 Playmate. “I want someone who’s able to compromise but doesn’t sell himself short,” she said. “I appreciate people who are the truest forms of themselves and brutally honest about who they are.”

The veterinary technician — who called herself “very much single” at the time — also elaborated about what she looks for in a man. “Humor is so important,” she said. “I need someone who can keep up with my sarcasm or it’s just not going to work.”

A source revealed exclusively to Us in July that the 46-year-old Alias alum wanted to keep her children — the exes, who split in 2015 after 10 years of marriage, share Violet, 12, Seraphina, 9, and Samuel, 6 — away from the 38-year-old Saturday Night Live producer: “Jen doesn’t want the kids around Lindsay or having her in their lives. She has many reasons.”

The insider noted, “Ben understands and has honored her request.”

For the latest celebrity news and interviews, subscribe to our new podcast “In Case You Missed Us” below!